"You think you're so cute. When you smile, your eyes disappear completely."
Nagato was slowly recovering and still had the energy to fire off a sarcastic comeback.
"Aww, don't say that about me."
Nonou said as she stood up, raising her fists and lightly punching at Nagato in mock anger.
"I won't sink to your level."
While dodging her punches, Nagato gave Nonou a noogie.
"Haha, haha~"
"You're cheating!"
Nonou twisted her body—when did he figure out her weakness?
"Alright, how about we call it a draw?"
Nagato stopped first, but Nonou wasn't quite done yet and gave him one last punch.
"Fine."
Nonou knew when to stop while she was ahead, smoothing down the messy hair over her forehead.
Within just a short time, her face turned bright red.
Who knew whether it was from embarrassment or exertion.
"Are you going back to Anbu tomorrow?"
Nagato had already accepted the reality of Nonou leaving.
"If you really want me to, I guess I will."
Nonou playfully handed the decision over to Nagato.
"Then don't go. Rest at home instead."
If she went back to Anbu, she'd have to train again. Nagato thought it better for her to stay home and relax.
"Sure thing. Whatever you say."
Nonou grinned and agreed, then her eyes lit up with a new idea.
"I just got out of surgery today. Isn't the doctor gonna come check on me?"
Seeing her playful and charming expression, Nagato couldn't help but agree.
"Yeah, I'll stop by tomorrow."
Nagato had already decided he'd ask Sakumo for time off.
"That sounds better."
Thinking for a moment, Nonou took off her glasses and held them in her hand.
"Here, take these. Keep them as a memento."
"I don't really need them anymore."
These glasses had been with Nonou for many years. Even though she no longer needed them, they were still meaningful to her.
"I'll treasure them."
Nagato solemnly accepted them. He understood this was likely a parting gift.
"Don't you have anything else you want to say to me?"
Nonou still secretly hoped Nagato might make the first move.
"Just take care of yourself. I'll come see you tomorrow."
Scratching his head, Nagato smiled awkwardly. With his personality, how could he ever give her what she wanted?
"You big dork."
Nonou whispered softly before stepping forward and hugging Nagato tightly.
"Don't forget me."
Her gentle voice whispered in Nagato's ear.
"Okay."
After hesitating for quite a while, Nagato finally wrapped his arms around her too.
They embraced each other closely, feeling the warmth of their bodies.
After a long while, Nonou let go.
"Take care on your way back."
She had already calmed herself, walking naturally toward the door and opening it.
"Yeah. See you tomorrow."
With those words, Nagato stepped outside, but didn't leave immediately.
"I'll wait until I can't see you anymore before closing the door."
Nonou half-closed the door, peeking her head out.
"In that case, alright."
Nagato had originally planned to wait until Nonou closed the door before leaving. Now, he could only keep his little hope to himself.
"Bye then."
Waving goodbye, Nagato turned and walked away quickly.
Only after Nagato's figure disappeared from sight did Nonou slowly close the door.
She leaned against the door, lingering there for a long moment.
After a moment, he finally took a couple of deep breaths before stepping into the bathroom.
...
The next day, Nagato took the day off to stay with Nonou all day long.
They both deliberately avoided bringing up their separation.
They spent the day eating, drinking, and wandering through Konoha, leaving traces of their presence in every corner of the village.
It wasn't until late at night that they finally said their goodbyes.
No sadness, no effort to stop it from happening.
Only after parting ways did both of them show deep loneliness on their faces.
After that day, Nagato's world lost a girl named Nonou Yakushi.
His life went on, though perhaps one day in the future, he'd hear her call him again.
Days passed, one by one. Eventually, Nagato learned from Tsunade that all members of the Intelligence Department had already been dispatched.
"Nagato, have you been feeling a bit better lately?"
Nagato thought he had hidden everything well, but how could he possibly fool someone like Elder Tsunade, who spent every day with him?
In the Hatake family dining room, Tsunade suddenly asked.
"Eh?"
"I'm fine, really."
Caught off guard, Nagato's hand trembled slightly as he lifted food with his chopsticks.
He still pretended not to understand why Tsunade had asked that.
"You can pretend all you want out there."
"But don't push yourself so hard at home. We all see right through it."
Kawaki gave Nagato a sidelong glance. His thoughts were written all over his face.
As soon as those words fell, Minato and the others nodded continuously.
Though Nagato showed little change outwardly, they could still clearly sense it.
"I really am fine. No need to worry."
Nagato stubbornly insisted, as if pretending nothing had happened could erase it all.
"Nonou has already left the village."
"She left last night."
Tsunade casually added a bite of food onto Kawaki's plate while watching Nagato from the corner of her eye.
"She's gone?"
Nagato couldn't help himself anymore—his expression finally changed.
It was hard to tell whether frustration or relief showed on his face.
In the end, things unfolded exactly as planned.
Without any unexpected twists, there was no changing Nonou's departure.
"Yeah, I figured I should let you know."
Tsunade softened her tone, not wanting this incident to burden Nagato too much.
She intended to gently console him.
"Where did she go?"
Nagato then seemed to recall something, letting out a helpless bitter smile.
"Forget it, I won't ask."
After speaking, he set his chopsticks down. Whether he'd had enough or not, no one could tell.
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"Tsunade said it's entirely Jiraiya's responsibility. I myself haven't paid much attention."
Tsunade wasn't avoiding the question—she genuinely hadn't focused on it much.
That was precisely because she fully trusted Jiraiya.
"Will she be able to come back?"
Nagato quietly asked. This was his greatest concern.
If one day he received bad news about Nonou, he didn't even want to imagine what might become of himself.
"Don't worry. She's definitely not some weak girl."
"She'll definitely return."
Kawaki tried to comfort him. Her nickname, the "Walking Witch," certainly wasn't baseless.
Perhaps she was simply born for this kind of work. Without Tanzō's interference, even in the original story, she wouldn't have died so easily.
"I sure hope so."
Nagato knew how dangerous the mission of spies operating behind enemy lines could be.
If discovered, escaping from a foreign country was no simple feat.
He could do nothing but silently pray in his heart that Nonou would remain safe.
"Every ninja must be ready to give their life the moment they take up the role."
"You're still young. You haven't seen enough of this kind of hardship yet."
"At least for now, Nonou is safe. She's already incredibly fortunate."
Although Sakumo's words weren't easy to hear, they came from years of hard-earned understanding.
He had long since lost count of how many times he had faced death and endured separation.
As long as someone was still alive, there was always hope they could return.
"I understand."
Nagato nodded—he truly understood.
In his battle against the Third Mizukage, he had gone in fully prepared to die.
But this understanding didn't mean indifference. As Sakumo said, Nagato simply hadn't seen enough yet.
"Alright then, I won't say more."
"You're a smart kid. I believe you can adjust properly."
"Nonou definitely hopes you'll be doing well in Konoha too."
Tsunade stopped there, saying no more.
If the right conditions arose, she would consider bringing Nonou back.
It was too sudden now—there was little she could do about it.
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